ADAP in Colorado — AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility and enrollment
The number
Colorado AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CO-ADAP) supports 2,700 people living with HIV in Colorado, with an income cap at 400% of the federal poverty line.
Ryan White Part B
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV Section
State ADAP
Colorado AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CO-ADAP)
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Colorado PrEP Assistance Program
Colorado AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CO-ADAP) eligibility + enrollment
Colorado AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CO-ADAP) serves 2,700 people, with an income eligibility cap at 400% of the federal poverty line. In Colorado that means your gross annual income can be up to $61,004 for a household of one (at 2025 HHS poverty guidelines) and you still qualify. ADAP is the 'payer of last resort' for HIV medications: it covers people with no insurance, fills the gap for people on Medicare Part D, and pays co-pays for people on commercial insurance.
What ADAP covers: all FDA-approved antiretroviral medications on the state formulary (every ADAP covers the WHO-recommended first-line regimens), plus many opportunistic-infection prophylaxis drugs, lab work in states where the ADAP pays for labs directly, and in some states hepatitis B and C treatment. Colorado AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CO-ADAP)'s formulary is published on the state health department website and is updated at least annually.
How to enroll: a case manager at a Ryan White Part B or Part C clinic completes the application with you. You'll need proof of HIV diagnosis (a lab report or physician letter), proof of Colorado residency, proof of income (pay stubs, tax return, benefit letter), and documentation of insurance status. Decisions typically return within two weeks; medications are dispensed through participating pharmacies at no cost once you're enrolled. Recertification is annual.
The state HIV info line is 1-303-692-2700; the case-management team can match you to the nearest Ryan White clinic for same-week intake. Long-time Black residents name Denver Health Infectious Diseases Clinic and Colorado Health Network as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Denver Health Infectious Diseases Clinic. The Denver Health ID Clinic is Colorado's largest Ryan White Part C site, serving nearly 4,000 people living with HIV, with a dedicated Black Women's HIV Navigation Program that emerged from 2019 community listening sessions.
Colorado Health Network. Colorado Health Network (formerly Colorado AIDS Project) operates the Ryan White Part B care coordination for the state, with offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction and a rapid-testing program at the Denver Center on Speer Boulevard.
For Black families in Colorado
Of the 14,400 people living with HIV in Colorado, a disproportionate share are Black residents — 20% of the new diagnoses each year, same proportion or higher of the cumulative prevalence. ADAP is what keeps many of those residents virally suppressed, because the alternative — paying retail for daily antiretrovirals — would run roughly $30,000-$40,000 a year. If your income has you worried about whether you qualify, call the state HIV line first. Ryan White case managers know the eligibility rules better than most insurance navigators and will pull you through the application rather than bouncing you to paperwork.
Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in Colorado
Denver Health Infectious Diseases Clinic
Denver, CO • 1-303-602-6000
Colorado Health Network — Denver Center
Denver, CO • 1-303-837-1501
Colorado Health Network — Colorado Springs Office
Colorado Springs, CO • 1-719-578-9092
Children's Hospital Colorado — Infectious Disease Clinic
Aurora, CO • 1-720-777-6839
The Center on Colfax LGBTQ Center — HIV Testing
Denver, CO • 1-303-733-7743
Where to get help in Colorado
- Colorado HIV info line: 1-303-692-2700 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV Section landing page: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hiv-and-sti-programs.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Colorado: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/co/.
- State health data for Colorado: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/colorado/.
- Colorado Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/colorado/ for eligibility + enrollment.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project — the current national ADAP eligibility + formulary reference.
References & primary sources
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV Section: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hiv-and-sti-programs.
- CDC HIV Surveillance Report 2022: cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Source for state-level new diagnoses and race-stratified counts.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee list: ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/grants/part-b.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project 2024 Annual Report: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project. Source for ADAP income cap + enrollment + PrEP-DAP data.
- AIDSVu state profile: aidsvu.org/state/colorado/.
- Kaiser Family Foundation, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program fact sheet: kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-ryan-white-hivaids-program.
Data refreshed: